My choice in coffee is bold and black. I try all kinds—occasionally. The two I keep on hand to brew are Italian Roast and Komodo dragon. Switching off or even mixing these two beans keeps me happy. Yes,this is a review of Decware’s ERR speakers and no,I don’t collect sports cars or even audio systems.

I do prefer radial speakers. For many years I have enjoyed a traditional brand—wonderful “hall of famers” driven by an old SS Luxman amp. Lately, what has caught my serious attention is Decware. The zbox did such wonders in my system; the next step was the ERR’s.Major audio purchases for me happen about every thirty years. That could betestament of my being a fool and not an audiophile or it could be the mark ofluck and satisfaction… you judge. Regardless, this system will knock your socksoff on all levels—emotion, accuracy, detail, oomph! What the ERR’s bring to the table is just short of miraculous. The perfect speaker does not exist. If it did— it would only need two or three percent more of what an Ohm and an ERR gives. Sorry, it’s just too difficult to avoid comparison. Also difficult to establish is a preference! Maybe time will give me a glimpse. I will not say what the ERR’s lack. Why give thought to minutia which might be correlated to a cable or a capacitor? People do that and are smarter (maybe) for it.

The ERR’s excel in realism, engagement, speed, imaging, focus, and a trueness across the stated frequency response. Their emotion and midrange are more alive driven by a Decware tube amp. That I know from direct experience. One thing that is becoming apparent in a subtle way as I log more hours with these wonderful speakers is the fact that “they are polite”. There is nothing ugly going on within the sound as a compromise to what you get. I will not drive them to extremes, but from the very quiet to the loud, they exhibit that nice quality. Being very accustomed to the radial sound, I may be taking something for granted in judging these new ERR’s. If you are new to the radial experience it will be the extra bonus! Radial sound is a bit like the first time you listened to very good headphones. In a room with radial speakers the mind is trying to make a visual connection to the source of the sound. In that failed quest one gets caught up in the spaciousness of the music. The illusion of three dimensions comes over you because the speakers disappear. (Walls disappear with great recordings.) These things do not happen because you are trying to perceive the stereo image or because you happen to get your head into the sweet spot. A small distinction for sure-- huge difference! Armed with credentials to judge build quality, the ERR’s satisfy my criticaleye. Aesthetically they please. (I like to leave the tops off.) Bob is a true craftsman.All aspects of my purchase were smooth, well communicated and assured. My bet is that it will be that way again. Thanks to everyone at Decware, especially Bob Z.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #3 - 08/27/13 at 19:12:53

i just picked up a pair because i wanted to try a high efficiency speaker with my torii 3. i have been using dali helicon 800s. these are multi-driver about 90 db efficient with a true 4 ohm load that dips to 3 about 80 hz. i really have liked the torii in combination with these $8,000 (new, not to me) speakers.one thing about the err is that in my room at least, aiming them is critical. i have generally listened with speakers towed in only shallow angles. with the dome tweeters i am used to, this works. the err however had this thick sound in the upper bass/lower mid that was not pleasing. cat steven's low register sounded muddy. the top of the bass range and bottom of the tenor sax range sounded thick and slow. the high range was a revelation however with air and presence to the max. but, i would not have been able to live with the speaker. also, my prized lyra delos did not sound good (strident and still muddy down low), but my zu denon backup sounded much better, but still thick in that range.another day dawned. after work, i tried angling the speakers in to the listening chair. whoa, what a difference. all the clarity and no sludge. the zu still sounded good, but the details were not quite there such as you had to strain to hear the glass breaking on dire straights' private investigations. i vowed to try the lyra again. after a very careful setup and lowering the angle of the tweeters just a little, sonic bliss ensued.these speakers should not sound so big for something so little. the wife even approves and that never happens.put simply, once you hear the unboxed sound, you can't go back. i have friends with panel speakers and while i like them, i can't love them due to the etherial nature of the sound, no solidity. this sound has substance and delicacy. combined with the treble adjustment on my torii, i can dial in the perfect sound. the bass is good and for me acceptable, but compared to 2 8 inch woofers in a five foot high cabinet, it does not rock the house. due to the sealed enclosure, it is quick and accurate which i prize for the jazz and accoustical that i mostly listen to. i can always add a sub for room shaking if needed.

i am very pleased with these speakers and at only 40 lbs more or less, very easy to move around. anyone want to buy some dalis

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #4 - 09/25/13 at 15:14:21

as a follow-up: the dali speakers are now residing in canada. i had to use the err's in dj duty last weekend and they did amazingly well with that.one other thing is that with the high efficiency, the amp now runs below the level of audibility, so background surface noise from records is almost non-existent or greatly reduced.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #5 - 09/25/13 at 21:00:01

I always wanted to hear a pair, but I think my current living arrangements would prevent me from getting the most out of them - as speaker placement in my room can only be placed a foot so so from the back wall.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #6 - 09/25/13 at 21:03:33

Hans, that's how I'm using mine currently in my second system. It's not unleashing their full sonic wonderfulness to be honest, but it's the only way that allows me to actually have a bed in the room and sleep. Still sound amazing and totally surprises me at times. The HR-1 are a better fit in that room and in my living room where I have a similar limitation. But man I love my ERRs!

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #9 - 09/25/13 at 22:26:54

Tom, not sure how wide a difference in price there is between them these days, but they're different enough speakers to make the answer . . .difficult.

I find the HR-1s to be a bit more efficient. And to have a deeper feeling bass. And to be more "hi fi" in that their presentation is more like the speakers I grew up with, with an additional radial dimension, whereas the ERR are just very different, more spacious and also "diffuse," less exact.

A year ago I might have said otherwise but the HR-1 is a more versatile speaker, better across the board on more formats. But the ERR can surpass it with some material. So it's just plain best to have both.

Hard to place a dollar value on the differences and you can't lose with either. For the most revealing and exacting sound. . .the HR-1. For some vide audio and some musical material the ERR surpasses them at times.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #15 - 10/16/13 at 12:00:53

Well, it looks nice, but if it only protects the tweeter but still sounds like the old err, then it should be very fine. I am still captivated with the err every time I use them. I don't need protection, no kids, no jumping pets and the standard covers do fine to keep the dust off when not in use.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #16 - 10/16/13 at 15:42:06

Well...

Have you ever been in town and seen a UPS truck make a turn at an intersection and heard a "boom" from within the truck? That is why, for the most part the 4 legs have been added.

From the moment the UPS man picks up the ERR's until the time I hear the wine glass ting on my Mac, I was worried that a customer would be calling me telling me that the tweeter and driver on the top was crushed. It has happened, more than I would have liked.

Secondly...both Steve and I hated, and I do mean hated, the grills on the ERR's. They just never looked finished, or at least finished enough to compliment the speakers.

I started working on the new ERR in February, prior to the heart attack and took a few weeks before Decfest to finish them up. I tried at least four different shaped legs some square like they are now with cuts to make them (for the lack of a better term) more aero dynamic. None of them had, or made any improvement, and I couldn't notice any detrimental effects of having the legs in place. Working together with the new radial driver the top plate has been the biggest improvement. Bass response has been improved as well. A new tweeter is in use this time around.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #18 - 10/16/13 at 18:38:24

Ditto. You are justified in feeling like a proud papa. Still, my wife actually said the std. version looked cool with its tweeter standing proud. Probably the first compliment from her about a speaker in 20 years. Of course, it didn't hurt that they were 1/2 the height of my old ones too so it was probably just relief.

Re: ERR Impressions from long time Ohm userReply #19 - 10/16/13 at 18:40:27

That is on my *want* list as well - Nice lookins speakers, Bob. And thanks for the clarification on the legs. I figured you would have tried out different types of legs to determine if they had an auditory impact.

Funny story...way back when in my early days with the Zen amp, I was demoing my highly modified Polk LS-70 with the Zen amp. We had three guys spacing out in the living room, eyes closed, enjoying the tunes...then suddenly the sound stage shifted and there was a moving deadspot in the sound field. All at once we opened our eyes with a palpable WTF! Only to see my cat strolling across the room. We were actually hearing his *shadow* in the soundfield!

It really makes one aware of how much information our ears take in and how our brain notices changes.